


Lay Down Your Sword

by clgfanfic



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-01
Packaged: 2017-11-17 12:26:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clgfanfic/pseuds/clgfanfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A case comes back to haunt the members of the Riptide Detective Agency.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lay Down Your Sword

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in the zine Fireside Tales #1 and later in BAB: Special Collection #2 under the pen name Lynn Gill.

Two forms coalesced in the blurred fog swirling through Cody's mind, the edges of the men's faces finally taking shape as he watched them move around in the small stateroom he shared with Nick.  The detective tried to rise, but the fog effectively pinned him to his mattress.  Even his fingers refused to respond to the desperate commands he gave them to do so.

As his vision cleared further so too did the garbled rumbling of the intruder's voices, washing over him in unintelligible bursts, then finally emerging as coherent words and phrases.

"He's coming around.  It's 'bout goddamn time," said a large, red-haired man.

"Time to proceed," came a second, quieter voice.

Cody shivered at the sound of the second man's voice, draped with the sound of death.  A short, frog-like man stepped up to the side of the blond's bunk.

"Can you understand me, Mister Allen?"

Cody stared into slightly bulged, weepy blue eyes and tried to speak.  All he managed was to drool on himself.

"Fine," the man said, taking no notice.  "I have a message and I want you to remember what I say."  He paused until he was sure Allen concentrated solely on his voice.  "An old friend wants you all to know that he finishes what he starts, no matter how long it takes, or what he has to do to complete his task.  Do you think you can remember that, Mister Allen?"

Cody's eyes flashed with confusion and anger.  The drug was slowly releasing his mind, if not his body to move, to think, and what he understood was that he and Nick were in some serious trouble.

The blond's eyes darted to the still form of his friend and partner, Nick Ryder, lying in his bunk against the opposite wall.

"Very good, Mr. Allen.  I see you comprehend the severity of your situation."  The little man nodded to his companion.

The intruder slowly drew a 9mm Browning from a shoulder holster, savoring the fear that crept into Cody's eyes.  Dim light from the small reading lamp over Nick's bed shone off the highly polished nickel surface.  Cody struggled, trying to fight past the immobility induced by the drugs.

"Watch very closely, Mister Allen," the frog-man said.

The red-haired man raised the weapon and pointed it at Nick's mid-section.

 _No!_ Cody screamed, only a low moan passing his lips.  He watched as the man carefully squeezed the trigger, the report reverberating in the small stateroom like a cannon blast.  Nick's body jumped as he was hit, blood showering across the white sheets and wall.

Cody closed his eyes as the man squeezed again.  "No!" exploded from the blond as his fingers curled the sheets into knots.  He ground his eyes shut against the men's laughter, bouncing in his head, distorted and painful.

Cody gripped his eyes shut with thumb and forefinger, panting while the sweat ran down his temples and into his ears.  He refused to move.  _Was that a dream?  It has to be!_

He listened.  The _Contessa_ creaked and moaned as it left her slip, heading for the entrance to the harbor.  Water lapped at the _Riptide's_ hull, and in the galley he could hear someone moving around, making the morning coffee.

"Nick?"

The blond concentrated intently on the sounds within the stateroom, but he heard no trace of Nick's presence.  _He's up already, that's all.  Probably wants to get an early start on repairs to the Mimi…  It was just a dream… He can't–_

Cody opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling of the stateroom.  A small circle of red clung to the surface.  He swallowed and slowly turned his head…

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Murray dropped the empty coffee cup he held, ready to be re-filled with the fresh steaming coffee that called so enticingly from the clear glass pot.  The handle snapped.

"Guys?" he called, shivering when silence was the only response.

The scream still ringing in his ears, Murray Bozinsky forced himself to the stateroom his partners shared, but only silence drifted out from behind the door.  Reaching out, Murray grasped the knob, shaking his own aching head.  "Hey, guys?" he called again.

Holding his breath, the thin detective turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Murray gasped, recoiling involuntarily from the sight that greeted him.  Kneeling in the center of the floor, Cody clutched a crimson sheet in his hands.  The smell of blood rolled past the now-open door, causing Murray to gag.

Rocking slowly from side to side, Cody sobbed into the stained sheet, his eyes glazed, frightening Murray more than the gore.  "Cody?" he whispered, walking slowly into the room.

Nick's bunk was soaked in blood, the wall splattered in bizarre red designs.  Nick was gone.

Kneeling down beside his friend, Murray wrapped an arm around the blond's quaking shoulders.  "Cody, what happened?"  Allen shook his head, unable to force words past the bile that rushed up his throat.

Murray blinked back his own tears as Cody heaved into the sheets.  "Easy…  Come on, let's get out of here.  We have to call the police."

Cody looked up, his eyes pleading for release from the nightmare.  Murray looked away for a moment, turning back in time to catch the blond as he fainted.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Distant voices filtered though Cody's mind and he bolted awake, sure the assailants had returned.  Instead, he found himself staring into the intense, black eyes of Dr. Amelia Poe.

"Easy, Cody," she said, sitting down on the edge of his bed once she raised it to a half-seated position.  "You're in the hospital, it's all right."

He raised his arms, but let them drop back into his lap in a motion of defeat, the needles of the IV's stinging him slightly.

"I–  Nick, he–  I…"  He trailed off incoherently, fighting back the panic and emotions that exploded inside his chest.

Dr. Poe watched the detective for a moment, trying to gauge her actions.  Since she had first met the three partners she now numbered among her friends, Amelia Poe had found Cody generally the more reserved in a physical sense, but her inner voice was loudly directing her to act in this case.  She reached out and pulled him into her arms.

Reaching up and holding onto her, Cody trembled, tears tumbling down his face.  She held him until both ceased, letting go only after Cody made the first moves to pull away.

"Thank you," he said softly.  "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Tell me what you saw," she directed him.

Cody sighed and swallowed several times before he began, haltingly spilling out the story.  When he finished, Dr. Poe reached over to hand him a glass of water, sitting on the hospital tray nearby.  He nodded his thanks and drank.

"Now, I want you to lie back and listen to what I have to tell you," the older Asian woman said.

Allen shivered, but did as she directed.

"First of all, you and Murray have been drugged.  Your dose was slightly different and larger than Murray's.  Evidently, whoever was responsible wanted him to sleep though the event.  It will take at least twenty-four hours before it passes through your systems, probably longer for you, so you will be with us at least until tomorrow.

"Part of the disorientation and emotional instability you're experiencing is due to the drugs.  What you were given has a tendency to destabilize the emotions as a side effect of large dosages.  Do you understand?"

Cody nodded, relief flooding through his heart.

"I spoke with Lieutenant Parisi.  She had the police lab provide us with a sample of the blood so I could match any drugs in Nick's system against yours.  I was hoping it would help us verify the dosages and components you and Murray received."

"And?" he whispered.

"The blood type is Nick's…"

Cody's eyes squeezed shut.

"…but, I don't think it was all his blood."

The blue eyes popped open.  "What?  How?  I saw–"

"From what I can piece together with the lab's help, about a pint of that blood was Nick's.  And, there were traces of the same drug complexes in that blood.  The same as what I found in your samples.  However, in some of the blood samples supplied by the police department, there were no traces of the drug at all.  That is very unlikely, unless there were two sources."

Cody felt his breath catch.  "Then he might be alive."

"If Nick had lost the total amount the lab came up with, I would have to tell you that it was very improbable, but as it stands, I cannot really say one way or another."

Cody smiled.  "Then he's alive!"

"I think so, or at least he was when they took him off the _Riptide_.  But, there was tissue in some of the blood samples as well.  Nick was shot, but I did not see traces of any organ tissues, just muscle.  It was probably an arm, leg, or side wound.  That is in his favor."

"Thank you," Cody whispered.

Dr. Poe smiled.  "Cody, have the three of you thought about finding another line of work?"

He looked at her, contemplating the question.  "No, but I'm seriously beginning to."

"You rest now.  I want to warn you, there might be nightmares for the next few days, but if they continue past that, I want you to come in and see me.  Okay?"

Cody nodded, allowing sleep to take over.  Dr. Poe was right; he did have nightmares, visions of Nick trapped in a darkness dripping fire and ice.  The dream shifted to the jungles of Southeast Asia.  Nick was lost, Cody had to find him.  The visions drove him awake.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick shifted uncomfortably in the tight, dark metal box that trapped him.  He tried to shift into another position, but the dimensions of the box kept him lying flat.  The metal grew hotter to the touch as it warmed in the morning sun.  It took all his self-control not to scream.  The nearly overwhelming panic and fear was more than he expected from himself and he was ashamed.

 _Come on, Ryder, get it together, for Christ's sake_.

 _What the hell happened?!_ a second voice in his head yelled, trying to remember past saying good-night to Cody.

_When was that?  Where are you, Cody?  I'm in trouble here!_

_No shit, Sherlock_ , Ryder chided himself as he felt the thick ooze of blood begin again from the side wound.  He shifted his hand, applying more pressure to the entrance.  The fear swelled again.

 _You guys better find me… pretty damned fast_.

_Cody, you swore in Vietnam you'd never leave me behind!  Don't you leave me here, damn you!_

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Nothing, Cody, that's what I have so far, nothing.  I'm sorry.  We're doing everything we can," Joanna Parisi explained for the third time.  "Why don't you two go back to the _Riptide_.  I'll contact you if we find anything."

"You don't think he's alive, do you?"

"Cody, I want him to be, but–"

"I know he's alive, Joanna.  I know he's scared and hurting.  It's dark and, and–  Look, we have to find him, _soon_."

"I'm doing all I can–"

"Yeah, well, thanks for all your help, Lieutenant," Cody snapped, stalking out of her office.

Murray gave the lieutenant an apologetic shrug, and turned to leave.

"Murray, I really am doing all I can.  Keep an eye on Cody, will you?"

"I know you are.  And so does Cody.  The side-effects of the drugs are clouding his judgment, that's all.  He'll come around.  And I'll watch him," Murray said.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Cody paused at the top of the stairs and stared down at the stateroom.  Gripping the handrail, he stepped into the darkness, moving steadily until he reached the door.

Murray also watched, and worried.  He reached over and flipped the light switch on.

"Turn it off!" Cody yelled angrily.

Murray complied.

The knob squeaked slightly as Cody turned it and opened the door.  The room was neat and clean – Murray's work during Cody's two-day stay in the hospital.  A wave of guilt ran through the blond detective.  "Murray?"

"Yeah?" came the quiet voice from the top of the stairs.

"I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to yell at you.  I'm just… worried."

"I know."

Murray joined him, standing outside the room Nick and Cody had shared for more years than Allen cared to remember.  The computer expert looked like a small boy in the dim light of the reading lamp, and Cody found himself wishing they were all kids again, loved and safe and far away from the dangers of the detective business.

"Who has him, Cody?"

"I wish I knew.  I lay there for two days trying to figure that out."

"Do you think it's Crawford?"

Cody cringed at the memories the name dredged up.  "He's dead."

"The body wasn't found."

"He's dead."

Murray decided against pushing the point.  He knew Cody was thinking the same thing, even if he wouldn't admit to it.  “What's next?" he asked.

Cody sighed.  "I don't know."  He turned, taking the thin man's shoulders in his hands.  "Murray, I don't know what to do.  Do you understand?  I'm–  I'm… lost… I–"

"Cody," Murray said slowly, frightened by the pleading tone of his friend's voice.  "You're still in shock.  Doctor Poe said you might be, remember?  There's still a chance for some disorientation from the drugs.  You'll be fine after a good night's sleep.  We'll find him."

"Will we?  Murray, he's so scared.  I can feel it some times, I don't know how, but I can.  What the hell are they doing to him?"

"We'll find him, Cody.  We have to.  He's our friend.  We won't let him down."

The blond studied the third member of their partnership.  At times Murray could say exactly the right thing, and this was one of those times.  "Thanks, Murray."

The computer whiz smiled.  "What're friends for?"

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick thought he was drowning.  The water was welcome, but it was filling up the metal box.  At first he swallowed greedily, but as the container filled, relief was replaced by fear.  Digging his fingertips into the tiny grate where the water rushed in, he tried to pull himself out of the rapidly filling container.  The edges of the grate sliced into his skin and he bit back a curse.  The water crept into his ears, raising the panic. 

_Cody!?  Where are you, damn it!  Help me!  I don't wanna die like this!_

When the box filled the rush of water ceased and Nick found himself totally immersed, floating in the darkness.  Only by holding himself to the grate could he force his lips to the thin openings and breathe.  Shaking his head from side to side, he was able to slosh some of the water out, but it did little to relieve the situation.

Nick felt the clot give way and his side started to bleed again.  Two days he had lain in the box with no food or water, nearly blistering with the heat of the day and shivering through the nights.  His fever was still low, but it was only a matter of time before that added to his discomfort.  The side wound throbbed dully, keeping him awake.

 _Cody, where are you, big guy?  I hope to God you and Murray are looking in the right places, because there ain't gonna be anything left to find pretty soon_.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Cody woke from sleep, choking.  He fought his way to wakefulness, escaping the panic that seized him.  Nick's panic.  The struggle was tangible.

"Hang on, buddy, please," the blond whispered in the darkness.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

That evening his tormentors came again, manipulating the metal box, lifting it, causing the water to rush out over Nick's face.  He coughed and choked, trying to hold his breath while the container drained.  The water was replaced by the cold night air that crept into the box, chilling the dark-haired detective's wet skin.

Only the distant sound of Cody's voice calmed him.  "Hang on, buddy," the echo said.  "Please."

Then the banging began.

Nick yelled, struggling to get his hands up to cover his ears, but the loud ringing was still deafening.  Metal pipes landing on the metal box sent their own shivers through the detective, competing with those from the cold.

"Stop!" he screamed at his tormentors, but received no acknowledgment or respite.  How long they persisted, Nick couldn't tell.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

The phone rang and Cody nearly tripped over one of the chairs in the salon to get to it before the second ring.

"Yeah?"

"Nick?"  It was a woman's voice.

"No, this is Cody Allen, can I help you?"

"I need to speak to Nick Ryder or Murray Bozinsky.  It's very important."

"Just a minute," Cody cupped his palm over the receiver and called Murray up from where he was scouring the computers for a sign of Nick, or who might have him.  "Murray, phone!"

Bozinsky staggered up from the staterooms, Cody noticing for the first time in several days how tired the thin detective looked. 

 _God, I must look like that, too_ , he thought as he handed over the phone.

"Hello?"

"Murray?"

"Yes, who is this?" he asked, pushing his glasses back up.

"Murray, it's Elaine Warrick."

"Elaine?  What's wrong–?"

"I saw Sheriff Kane, _here_ , in Cypress Bay.  Oh, Murray, I'm so frightened."

Murray sat down, his expression one of focused concentration.  "When?  When did you see him, Elaine?"

"Yesterday.  What should I do?  I tried to call you then, but no one was there."

"Stay there, Elaine.  Lock the house.  Cody and I are leaving right now.  We'll be there as soon as we can."

"All right, but hurry, Murray, please hurry."  The phone went dead.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Kane could do this," Murray said.  "He was a very sick man, Cody.  If he has Nick…"  The detective trailed off, shaking his head.

"Come on, Murray, Nick's tough, and he can talk to people, even if I do accuse him of not being able to.  He'll be okay."

"I'm still worried, Cody.  Kane was supposed to have been sent back to the institution in Texas.  How could he get out so soon?"

"Joanna will tell us that one, if it's him."

"It is," the computer whiz said with conviction.  "I know it is."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick woke to silence, blessed silence.  He was hungry, hurting, scared, and he could feel his strength slipping away.  The fever was climbing and he knew he was slowly losing control, the metal box growing smaller in him mind, closing in, suffocating him.

Suddenly bright sunlight blinded him, and he groaned as the lid of the box was lifted.  Hands reached in and pulled him out.  He couldn't stand so they dragged him along into the dim, musty interior of a building.  Rough ropes dug into his wrists and ankles as they secured him to an equally rough post, shivers of wood biting into his back.

A hand connected with his cheek, snapping the detective's head back and tearing the corner of Nick's mouth open.  He grunted, but refused to speak.  Squinting, he tried to make out the face of his tormentor.  _Kane…  Emiel Kane_.

"Sheriff," Nick slurred sarcastically.

"Welcome back to Cypress Bay, Nicky," the man said, nodding to another frog-like man, who moved through the old barn, disappearing outside.  He returned shortly with a third, red-haired companion who held an armful of struggling woman.

"Why, hello, Elaine!" Kane yelled.

The woman stopped fighting, gasping when she saw Nick.

"Well, well, well, here we are.  Isn't this cozy?"

"You–  You _animal_ ," Elaine breathed, trying to pull away a go to Nick, but large, red-haired man stopped her with a firm grip on her arm.

"Nick, I want you to listen.  I'm going have Erik here tie Elaine up over there, so she can watch.  Then, I'm going to hurt you, boy, and every time you make a sound, any sound, Erik is going to hurt Elaine.  Do you understand?"

"You're crazy, man," Nick snarled.

Kane nodded, and Erik jabbed his fist into Elaine's mid-section.  She fell to her knees, gasping.  The man took advantage of her position and grabbed her hair, dragging her to another post in the darkened old barn and tying her to it.

Kane chuckled.  "Time to begin, boys…"

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

He tried.  He really tried.  The silence lasted for a time, longer than Kane expected, but finally the exhaustion and pain won out and Nick groaned.  Erik slapped Elaine.

She screamed.

The frog-man giggled.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick shut his eyes, unable to watch or stop the moan that escaped as Kane drew the tight black sack over the detective's head.  He was back in the metal box, the tight walls closing in, filing up with fire and water, the ropes binding his feet and hands became bands of metal in his mind, cutting into his skin.  He yelled.

Elaine screamed.

 _No, damnit, no!  Shut up!_ he yelled at himself.

Kane knelt down and drew the point of a sharp knife across Nick's bare chest. The detective ground his teeth shut, swallowing the groan.  The ex-sheriff traced a second line, drawing a gasp from the dark-haired man.  The game continued…

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Oh, very good, Nick," Kane said after Ryder successfully fought down the scream that struggled for release in his throat.

The demented sheriff finally cut the hood free.

Elaine sat slouched against the post, blood covering one cheek, the rest of her face bruised.

Nick grimaced.

Kane grabbed the detective's hair, jerking his head back.  "You ruined everything, Ryder.  You know that?  I had it all figured.  This was gonna be a clean town, but then you and your friend came along, trying to help this slut.  She's probably a queer, just like her brother."

"I could fix that," Erik said, reaching out for the woman, who tried to pull away, whimpering softly in fear.

"Leave her alone," Nick managed, realizing instantly his mistake.

"You–  You spoke!  I told you!  I told you what would happen!"  Kane strode across the barn to Elaine, grabbing her by the throat and squeezed.

The attack released what was left of her reserves and Elaine writhed in the ropes, trying to pull away.

Nick watched in horror as Kane continued to strangle her.  _No!  No, damn you!_ he screamed, but no sound passed his lips.  The room dissolved into a twisted blackness.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Cody and Murray ran to the front door of the Warrick home and knocked.  Cody shoved the .45 into the back of his jeans and grabbed the knob, ready to break his way in, but the brass fixture turned in his palm. 

The house was deserted.

"Damn," Cody breathed.  "Where would she be?"

Murray stood, looking around the neat interior, remembering the last time he was here, the guilt he had felt over the killing of Elaine's younger brother, Nathan…  Nick's support and understanding…  Kane…  The people who had been killed, hurt…  Nick, yelling for him to pick up the gun and stop Kane from choking the dark-haired detective…  Nick's understanding, acceptance…  The farm…

"The farm!"

"Farm?  What farm?  Murray, what're you talking about?"

"There was a farm, out on the highway.  They lured us out there and tried to kill us.  It's deserted."

"Show me."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Good-bye, Nick Ryder," Kane said, chuckling.  He motioned for the two men to close the lid of the metal box.

Nick fought to remain calm.  They had placed him back in the metal coffin while he was unconscious, then forced Elaine's body into the already too-tight space as well.

Nick's fever raged, but the rapidly cooling corpse felt like a slab of ice against his bare skin.  He turned his head and ground his eyes shut to avoid the open-eyed, accusing stare on the woman's face.

The box jerked and Nick forced himself to watch through the thin grate while they lowered the metal container into the ground.  He could see Kane and the two men standing above him.  The sheriff pointed and the two men began to fill in the hole with shovels of dirt.

Nick pressed his hands against the grate, keeping as much of the fine dirt out as he could.  Panic surged through him.  They were burying him alive!  He tried to scream, but the stiff cold body pressing him against the side of the metal box trapped the sounds in his mind.

_Cody!  Where are you, man!?  Help me!_

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Kane and his companions walked back toward their waiting cars, pausing when they noticed the red Jimmy, racing down the deserted highway toward them.

"Stop them!" Kane yelled to the men when he recognized Murray.  He ran for the nearby pick-up truck.

The pair drew weapons from their shoulder holsters as Kane jabbed the key in the ignition and turned the engine over.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Cody, look, Kane's getting away!" Murray yelled, pointing.

A 9mm slug crashing through the windshield forced Cody to swerve.  A second shot flattened one front tire.  The blond detective stomped on the brake, sending the Jimmy into a ungraceful, skidding stop.

The two detectives scrambled from the front seat, firing as they did.  Kane's truck roared around the barn, bouncing onto the asphalt, the tires smoking as he headed up the highway.

"Damn it!" Cody yelled, returning fire.

Kane's men headed for a second car that sat next to the barn.

"The gas tank, Murray!" Cody yelled, opening up on the car just as the pair reached it.

The thin detective joined him.

Neither man knew who fired the right shot, but the resulting explosion slammed both of the men to the ground.

Rising, Cody helped Murray to his feet.  The pair trotted over to the half-collapsed barn.  Murray noted the burned, tangled metal propane tank that sat nearby, a result of Nick's well placed slug on their first trip to Cypress Bay.  They searched the barn.

"Well, they _were_ here," Murray said, holding up a handbag for his partner to see.

Cody squatted, studying blood splattered in the dirt.  "They're still here…  I know it," he said, prowling around the structure.  "Let's check outside."

The two circled around the barn in opposite directions.

"Cody!"

The blond halted, fear freezing his muscles until he heard Murray add, "Hurry!"

Cody ran.  "What?"

"Here, look," Murray said, pointing to a pile of fresh dirt.

Cody paled, but dropped to his knees and began digging.  Murray swung from side to side, looking for the shovels he saw tossed close by.  He scurried over, scooping them up and returning.  He shoved one into Allen's hands.

The two men dug steadily in silence.  It was Cody who first heard the dull thud of the shovel on the box about three feet down.

"I got it, come on, Murray, faster."

They cleared the dirt off as rapidly as they could, Cody dropping down to run his hand along the edge of the metal container, looking for the latch.  Finding the two pins, he tugged them free with trembling fingers.  "Help me," he said.

Murray climbed down and together they were able to lift the top off.  The computer whiz yelped at the sight that greeted them.  Elaine lay on top of Nick, her eyes open and unseeing, her face an odd blue color.

Carefully they removed her body, checking for the signs of life that were no longer there.  Cody left Murray with the woman's body and stepped back into the grave where Nick lay unmoving, his eyes closed.

"Nick, damn you, you can't be dead.  We got here as fast as we could.  Do you hear me!"

Reaching down, the blond detective felt for a pulse.  The heat emanating from Nick's skin was the first indication that the dark-haired man was still alive, despite the fact that Cody could find no heartbeat.  Forcing his head down, Cody placed his ear against his partner's bare chest and listened.

Nick's heartbeat was faint and rapid.

"Cody?" Murray whispered.

"He's alive, Murray.  Help me get him out of here.  I think he's in shock."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

The Jimmy coughed and bucked as they pulled into the gas station.  Cody knew he'd probably have to replace the entire engine, but they had no choice except to drive the bullet-riddled vehicle.  Nick lay across the back seat, Murray doing what he could to keep him comfortable.

Lunging from the cab, Cody ran to the attendant who had started out to serve them.  "Phone, where's your phone?"

"Inside," the man said, pointing.  He jumped back, frightened by the frantic look on the blond's face.

Cody charged into the small office and snatched the phone up, stabbing out 9-1-1.  "I need an ambulance at the gas station on the corner of Highway 5 and Interstate 89," he said.  "Gunshot wound."

"Do you need the police as well?" asked the operator.

"Yeah, and make it fast, please," Cody said, the final word coming out as a plea.

"Help's on the way, sir."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Cody!"

The detective replaced the receiver, wondering how long he'd been standing there, listening to the dead line.  He ran back to the Jimmy.

"I think he's choking," Murray said as he fought to raise Nick to a seated position.

The dark-haired detective did indeed sound like he was choking as he gasped, tossing his head from side to side.

Cody reached out to helped Murray.  Noting Nick's half-slitted eyes, Allen shook his partner's shoulder, saying, "Buddy, can you hear me?  Nick?"

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick swallowed rapidly and forced himself to take a deep breath, the perfume on Elaine's body nearly causing him to gag.  The air was rapidly being used up.

This was it, there was no way out, he was suffocating.

 _Cody!?_ he screamed silently, over and over until blackness took him.

There!  He could hear it.  Cody's voice, drifting around him, comforting, warm.  "Hang on, buddy.  Help's on the way," it said.

 _I'll try, Cody_ , Nick thought.  _I'll try_.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

They slid Nick over, leaning him against the side of the Jimmy.  Murray watched as Cody reached over the edge of the car and wrapped his arm around the injured man.

"Hang on, buddy, please.  Help's on the way.  You have to hang on just a little longer, okay?  You can't leave us yet, you hear me?  Just a little longer."

The distant cry of a siren brought tears to both detective's eyes.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

The next six hours were a blur for the two men.  Nick was taken to the small hospital in Cyprus Bay just long enough to get two IVs started and a dressing on the wound.  An air ambulance from Los Angeles arrived while the local doctors finished and flew the three men back to Santa Monica where Nick was taken directly to an emergency treatment room at Saint John's Hospital – one of Dr. Poe's posts.

Murray and Cody were shuffled into an office where Joanna met them and took their statements, explaining that Kane had not been located, but that there were roadblocks set up and men looking.  She waited with them until Dr. Poe arrived from Redondo's Community General.

"Are you two all right?" she asked as she brushed into the room.

They both nodded half-heartedly.

"I want to see both of you in a treatment room, now."

They rose and followed her down the hall and into an examination room where she looked them over, drawing from them the events of the last twelve hours.  When she was through she gave each man a mild sedative and told them to lie back and rest until she returned.

When she checked back a few minutes later, they were both sleeping soundly as she had planned.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Cody?"

The detective opened his eyes and glanced around in momentary confusion.  "Nick?  How's Nick?"

Dr. Poe helped the detective sit up on the edge of the examination table while Joanna did the same for Murray.

"Nick is being transported to Redondo Community as we speak.  Lieutenant Parisi is going to take you and Murray home.  I want you to go home, go to bed, and go to sleep, understand?  Tomorrow morning come by the hospital and we will talk once I know what is going on.  All right?"

Cody nodded, trying not fall asleep where he sat.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"You ready?" Cody called down to the staterooms.  He paced restlessly while waiting for Murray to join him.

Murray emerged, looking much better for the solid night's sleep.  "I'm sorry.  I guess that sedative slowed me down."

Cody allowed himself a rare moment of physical affection, wrapping his arm around Murray's shoulder and squeezing.  "I know, me, too.  Let's go see what Amelia has to say."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Sit down," Dr. Poe directed the detectives.  Two cups of tea waited for them.  Once they were settled she began.  "Nick is in ICU right now and we're monitoring him rather closely.  The original wound was not critical, but the lack of food and water, the exposure, and the shock has added complications.  He also has the beginnings of a nasty infection."

"He was beaten," Murray said, his voice a whisper.

"Yes, but physically he's much better than you might think.  However, we think he has a mild case of pneumonia, so we are going to give him antibiotics and watch him closely over the next twenty-four hours."

"You said, 'physically,' what else?" Cody asked.

"I don't know, not yet, anyway.  Last night, Nick regained consciousness.  He looked at me, recognized me, but he could not speak."

"'Couldn't'?" Cody echoed.

"He tried, but he could not force the sounds out.  Do you have any idea why?"

Both men shook their heads.  "Like I told you yesterday," Cody explained, "Kane tried to bury them alive.  Elaine must have suffocated.  That's all we know."

Dr. Poe nodded.  "Well, we will just wait then and see what happens."

"Can we see him?" Murray asked, his soft voice hopeful.

"He is sedated right now, but I do not see why you can't go in and sit with him for a little while.  I know you are each the best medicine for the others I can think of."

The two men smiled, their cheeks reddening.

"Finish your tea and I will take you."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick slept.  In the distance he could hear voices: Cody… Murray.  They were telling him he was safe… they had found him… it was all over.

He let the voices carry him further into the healing darkness.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

The phone rang and the two men collided as they moved in tandem to answer it, Cody somehow managing to come up with the receiver in the resulting confusion. "Hello?"

"It's Dr. Poe, Cody.  Nick is awake.  I thought you two might like to stop in and say hello.  We're moving him out of ICU to a private room.  Have me paged when you arrive, I want to talk to you before you see him."

"Great!  We'll be right over."

Cody placed the receiver in the thin detective's hand while Murray worked to remove his arm from the tangle of the cord.

"He's awake?"

"Yeah.  Doctor Poe wants to talk to us before we see him, though.  Murray, do you ever think about doing something else?"

Bozinsky finally extricated himself and returned the phone to the counter.  "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you ever think about going back to doing regular computer work?"

The computer whiz's eyes widened.  "Give up the detective business?"

"Yeah."

Murray followed his partner to the deck of the _Riptide_.  "No, I really haven't.  Why, are you?"

Cody shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and headed up the ramp to the quay.  "Yeah, I guess I am."

"What would we do?"

Cody smiled thinly.  "Murray, you could find a job with any of a hundred different computer companies.  Hell, most of them would bend over backwards to get you on the payroll."

They reached the Jimmy and climbed in, Murray feeling slightly uncomfortable about sitting in the passenger seat Nick usually occupied.  "But what would you and Nick do?"

Cody shrugged.  "I don't know.  We could find something."

"Cody, what's this all about?" Murray asked.  "You're not _really_ thinking about quitting the agency, are you?"

"I don't know, Boz.  I just don't know.  I'm tired of worrying about what's going to happen to us next.  What if Nick had died?  What if–?"

"Cody, you're the one who's always telling us that there are no absolutes in life.  There's no way to know if we won't be killed, oh, crossing the street, or getting hit by lightening."

"Yeah, but at least then it would be… natural, accidental.  How long can we keep dodging bullets before one of us gets himself killed?  I just don't want to be around when that happens.  It won't be worth it."

Murray fell silent, realizing that Cody was in no mood to listen to reason.  They were detectives, that was their lives and, down deep, Murray knew Cody understood that.  Even Murray himself had passed beyond the point where he could return to a computer terminal job in some company.  Nick and Cody had made him a part of something more exciting, something more important than a salary.  He was a part of a family, and that family had been threatened.

Cody was scared, shaken at the close call.  Murray didn't blame him, he was, too, but he also knew that running away, abandoning the family was no way to get rid of the fear.  Cody would come around.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Cody ignored the signs and parked in the physicians' lot, closest to the building.  They entered the large hospital and headed directly for Dr. Poe's office.  She was gone, but a page caught her in the cafeteria where she told the nurse at the floor station to direct the two detectives.

"Hungry?" she asked them and received two headshakes in reply.  "Well, have some coffee, this might take a few minutes."

The pair wandered off to get their coffee and returned to listen to what she told them.

"First of all, Nick is doing quite well, given the complications that might have developed.  It's been twenty-four hours, the wound is draining nicely and the antibiotics are holding the infection to manageable levels.  He has a very mild peritonitis, but the drugs are taking care of that."

"Is he in pain?" Murray asked.

"A little, but it's not enough for sedatives.  He does have a touch of pneumonia, but again, the antibiotics are going to help.  His fever is down and he is awake and alert."

"Can he talk?" Cody asked.

Dr, Poe shook her head.  "Nothing.  It's not biological, that is the one thing we do know.  Whatever it is that is keeping him from speaking, it is a psychological result of what happened."

Cody drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh.  "What can we do?"

"At this point, nothing.  Do not press him on it, yet.  Just be there."

They both nodded.

"Room 523."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick lay with his eyes closed, listening to the coming and going of the nurses and visitors as they moved along the hallway.  He wished they would close the curtain, cutting him off from the nearly 360 degree view.  Something about looking at other people lying in their beds made the detective nervous.

Nick heard Murray's excited whispers long before he and Cody reached the room.  He opened his eyes as they entered.

"Hi, Nick," Murray said, moving immediately to the side of the bed.  Cody hung back, taking up a position at the foot.  "How do you feel?"

Nick nodded.

Murray's eyes opened slightly larger than normal and a hand rose to his mouth.  "Oops, I forgot," he giggled at his own mistake.

Nick smiled at the man's embarrassment and shrugged.

"They treating you okay?" Cody asked.

Nick nodded again and motioned to the chairs that were pushed back against the half-glass wall.  The two detectives retrieved the chairs, positioning them closer to the side of Nick's bed.

Nick pointed to his chest.

"I don't understand," Murray said, his forehead wrinkling.

Nick looked around, then pointed at the collection of pens and pencils in the detective's pocket.

Murray reached into his pocket and removed a small notebook and one of the ink pens, handing them to Nick.  The dark-haired detective scribbled a note and handed it back to Murray.

"Kane?  Well, Nick, they haven't found him yet," Bozinsky said.

Cody noted the accusing expression on his partner's face.  If it were reversed, he'd be angry too that Nick and Murray hadn't caught the man responsible for his present predicament.  "They have an all-points out," he explained.  "They'll catch him."

Nick scowled, pointing at the notebook.  Murray handed it back and he scribbled a second note, then handed it back.

"When do I go home?" Murray read again.  "We don't know, Nick.  It'll be a few days.  They have to make sure the infection is gone and the pneumonia doesn't get worse."

Nick sighed.

"Hey," Cody said, trying to sound light.  It was obvious that Nick wanted a shot at Kane himself.  "Think of all the nurses you'll get to meet."

Nick smiled thinly.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"But he _can't_ come home," Cody argued.

"Why?" Murray asked, surprised at the response.  Nick had improved steadily over his week-long stay in the hospital, and except for the lack of his voice returning, he was ready to be released.

"Yes, Cody, why?  He is ready to go home.  The infection is gone, the wound is nearly healed and the pneumonia is gone," Dr. Poe added.

"But he can't talk."

"Cody, I have not wanted to bring this up, but it's something that we all need to face.  Nick could regain his voice today, tomorrow, next month, or next year.  He built a block against it as a result of what Kane did to he and Elaine Warrick.  Given that Nick feels responsible for her death it might take a while for that block to begin to crumble.  The best thing right now is to get things back to normal.  Press him on it.  I know this might sound clichéd, but set up a good cop/bad cop situation, one of you pressing for him to speak, the other defending the silence."

Cody shook him head.  "I just don't know."

"What else can we do?" Murray asked.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick carried his shaving kit and gym bag down to the stateroom.  He paused at the sight of the strange blanket covering his bed.  He pointed, indicating his question with an upturned palm.

"Uh," Cody stuttered.  "The other one was, uh, sort of ruined, the blood…"

Nick tossed the items on the bed and pulled the pad and pen from the back pocket of his jeans and scribbled, "What the hell happened?  I don't remember anything."

Cody read the note, then sat down on his own bunk.  He didn't like the idea of reliving that night, but Dr. Poe had told him to be as candid as possible.

Nick sat down across from him, listening as Cody described the two men, the drugs, the shooting, and the few days before Elaine called.  "We thought it was Crawford, to tell you the truth," he concluded.

Nick shivered.  Harrison Crawford had nearly killed both of them at different times.  The whole abduction was something the man easily could have engineered.

"Look," Cody said, hoping Amelia was right about pressing Nick.  "You remember the way we kept blaming ourselves for Crawford?  We were really off base with that.  You know, this is the same thing.  It's not your fault that Kane's a psycho.  He would've killed Elaine–"

Nick levered off the bunk, shaking his head.  He opened him mouth, but the words refused to exit.  _Damn it!_ he yelled silently.  _You don't understand.  It was me, Cody, my weakness!  My fault!  If I'd just kept my mouth shut she would've been alive in that box when you found us!_

The dark-haired detective pushed past his partner, escaping the suddenly claustrophobic stateroom.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Murray scrambled to get out of the way as Nick stormed past.  Reaching out, he grabbed Nick's arm.  "Nick, are you all right?"

Ryder jerked free, glaring at the man as he left.

Murray watched in amazement.  Cody joined him in the salon, resting a hand on the man's shoulder.  "I guess I pushed the wrong switch."

Murray shook his head.  "He looked scared, Cody, not mad.  Maybe we should follow him?"

Cody weighed the words and nodded.  "Yeah, maybe we should."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nick stalked down the pier, unsure where he was headed, but knowing he had to walk off the constricting anger and panic that had welled up in him.  He turned toward the beach.

 _I know they want to help, hell, I want them to help, but they don't understand.  I_ killed _her!_   Nick thought.

He stopped, realizing that a large part of the guilt came from his own shame at having given in to Kane's ploy.  Would Cody have broken?

 _You didn't break_ , another part of his mind countered.

_Bullshit!  Look at me, I can't say a damn word and Elaine is still dead!  What am I going to do?_

_Talk._

_I can't!_

_Why not?  Elaine's dead.  It's over.  Talk.  Cody and Murray need you to._

_I know!  Damn it, I know!  But, I killed her.  I opened my mouth and I killed her.  I couldn't keep my mouth shut!  I should've been stronger than that!_

_Tall… for them._

_Yeah, talk.  Talk?  What do I say?  Do I tell Cody and Murray that I was moaning like some snot-nosed little kid and it got a good woman killed?  What the hell am I going to do?!_

_They'll understand.  But if you need another option, all right then, kill Kane_ , came the cold reply.

Nick watched the ocean waves falling unsteadily onto the wet sand.  He nodded.  _That I can do._

"Nick?"

He turned.  Cody and Murray were walking toward him, Murray tripping in the loose sand as it filled his shoes.  _It'd be so easy to run_ , Nick thought, _but one way or another I have to face them.  Maybe, if they can forgive me, I can_.

"You okay?" Cody asked, watching the confusion of emotions on the dark-haired man's face – tears betrayed the fear and pain as they slid down Nick's face.

Nick shook his head, then opened his mouth and tried to force the sounds past the wall that blocked his throat.  The two men waited, expectant but afraid to move.

 _Cody?_ Nick moaned silently.  _Help me.  Please, Cody._   His face pinched, the tears falling faster.  Nick tried again.  "Co–"

The sound was rough, disjointed, beautiful to the blond man's ears.  Cody stepped closer to Nick, tears building in his own blue eyes.  "We tried, Nick.  We tried everything we knew to find you sooner.  I'm sorry.  It wasn't your fault.  You have to believe that.  We do."

"Cody?"  Nick ground out the name as a hoarse plea.

The blond remained still, allowing Nick to take the last step to close the space between them, wrapping his arms around the blond detective's shoulders and allowing himself to cry.

Cody raised his arms, encircling the shaking shoulders and holding Nick tightly.

Murray stepped up to the two men, placing his arms around both men.

Nick began choking out the ordeal in vivid detail…

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"I…  I want, to go… to Cypress Bay," Nick stuttered out.

"Why?"

"Kane."

"Nick, do you really think he'd stay there?" Murray asked.  "The police were all over that area and they didn't find anything."

"A…  A feeling.  I'm going."

Cody and Murray exchanged glances.  There would be no stopping Nick.

"Okay," Allen said.  "But tomorrow, after we've all had a good night's sleep."

Nick nodded.

 

 

The drive was longer than any of the detectives remembered.  Cody watched from the corner of his eye while Nick gripped the padded door handle in a white-knuckled grasp.  Murray sat in the back, his portable computer open on his lap.

"The latest police reports show that Kane has not tried to leave the state via any traditional means."

"What's that supposed to mean, Murray?" Cody asked.  "Maybe he used a pack mule?"

Nick snorted softly.

"Well, I don't know, Cody–"

"I'm sorry, Murray, it was a stupid thing to say."

"Nerves?" Nick asked.

"I guess so."

"I know what you mean."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

The three detectives drove through the quiet community of Cypress Bay.  A few people passed along the streets, pursuing their daily chores.  No one paid any attention to the three men as they proceeded through town, headed toward the abandoned farm.

Cody watched his partner carefully as Nick climbed out of the Jimmy and headed directly for the open hole.  He paused at the edge, staring down into the shallow grave where the metal box still laid, the top open.

"You okay?" the blond asked in a whisper.

"Yeah," Nick responded.

"Uh, guys?" Murray said, pointing to the top of a nearby rise where Kane stood, leaning against a single oak that grew there.

"He's mine," Nick growled, removing his .45 and stalking off.

Kane disappeared over the top of the rise.

"Cody?" Murray asked, as Nick neared the top of the hill.

"I know, Boz, I know, but if we get in the middle of this, he'll never forgive us."

"But we can't let him do this alone."

"I know that, too."  Cody removed his gun and started off after the two men, Murray trailing him.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Kane!" Nick yelled as he topped the hill.  The ex-sheriff was nowhere in sight.

"Nicky!  I thought you'd come alone, boy."  The voice drifted in the air without direction on the craggy hillside.  "You come to kill me, Nicky?  You'll be doing me a favor, you know."

"Favor?" Nick yelled.  "It's not for you, Kane.  It's for Elaine.  For me!"

The ex-sheriff laughed.  "Maybe so, maybe so, but you've taken it all away, Nicky.  You took away my town, my dignity.  I'm not going back to that nut-house.  But I think you will save me, Nicky.  You'll pull the trigger.  You'll do that for me."

Nick moved silently toward the location where he thought the voice originated, hoping he was right.  One mistake and Kane wouldn't hesitate to turn the tables on him.

"Won't you, boy?"

Nick froze, silently cursing himself.  He swung around to stare at Kane.  The man held a Smith and Wesson .38 pointed at his chest.  "You going to finish what you started?" the detective asked.

"No, no, I don't think so.  There's no point.  It's all over.  You destroyed everything I worked for.  And all for a damn queer!  I just don't understand it, I truly don't."  Kane looked down at the gun, then tossed it away.

Nick brought up the .45, the safety off.  He thumbed the hammer back, aiming carefully at the man's heart.

"Nick?"

"Murray, get out of here.  This is between me and Kane."

"We can't do that, buddy," Cody said.

"Nick, listen to me, please," Murray pleaded in a tone Nick had never heard from the thin computer whiz.  "You remember when we were here?  Remember what you told me?  What that sergeant told you about when it's easy to kill someone?  He said that when it was easy it was time to lay down your sword.  Oh, Nick, I'm not saying this very well…"

"No, Boz, you're doing fine," Cody said, realizing that Nick was listening.

"Nick, if you kill Kane it'll be too easy.  Nothing will ever be the same.  _You_ won't be the same.  You won't be the man who knew what I was going through.  You'll be someone who can kill easily, not my friend.  He's not worth it, Nick.  Lay down this sword, please, for us… for yourself?"

Nick hesitated, a part of him screaming that he kill the man who had hurt all of them.  But another voice understood what Murray was saying, and wanted to comply.

"You gonna listen to them, Nicky?  Don't you remember what I did to you?  To Elaine?  Don't you want to kill me?"

Nick centered the gun again, but the realization that he was being set-up stopped him from pulling the trigger.  His blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You wanted me to kill you?  All this?  All this so I'd pull the damned trigger?! No!  No, damn it.  I won't do it, Kane.  You hear me?  You won't get any help from me."  Nick eased the hammer back, reset the safety, and walked away.

"Ryder!  Ryder!  Come back here!  Nick!  You can't!  You have to kill me!  Nicky, _please!_ "

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

The three detectives sat at the stern of the _Riptide_ , dangling fishing lines in the rapidly stilling Pacific while they watched the sunset.  Nick hummed softly.

"You know, Murray, there are times when I miss the silence."

Nick pivoted his head just far enough to glare at his partner.  "Hrumph," he snorted.

Murray grinned, content to see his "family" restored to health, happiness, and comfort.  Earlier that morning, Cody had asked Nick about trying another line of work, but the un-repeatable replay made it clear that they were detectives, and they were going to remain detectives for the foreseeable future.

"It is good to be back to normal," Cody admitted.

Nick nodded.  "I just want you guys to know that I appreciate everything you did.  You're the best."

Cody looked away, embarrassed.  The Boz just smiled proudly.

"Murray was right, we _are_ a family, and I for one am grateful you guys were there…  And you know, when I was with Kane there were a couple of times I could've sworn I heard you talking to me," he said to Cody.

The blond shifted uncomfortably, not meeting Nick's probing gaze.

"Strange, huh?" the dark-haired detective asked.

"No, not really," Murray said.  "Cody knew that you were alive, too–"

"Murray!" the blond interrupted.

"He knew that you were in the dark, and even some of what you felt," Murray continued blithely.

Nick looked from the computer whiz to his partner.  "You did?"

Cody sighed heavily, rolled his eyes, then nodded.  "Yeah, I did, but I don't know how I did."

Nick considered the words for a moment before he grinned slightly.

Murray continued, "Oh, it's not that unusual for members of a family to, well, tap-in, to use an expression, when another family member is hurt.  In fact, there was one woman who…"

 

The End


End file.
